The Ħoss Project's new groove – In conversation with Pete Galea
Check out Ħoss Project's mini-tour in Malta this April
I will begin today’s article by alluding to the pumpkin spice latte equivalent of basic ass philosophy quotes, which is Heraclitus’s assertion that you cannot step into the same river twice, as the river changes and you do too (looking for the original quote led me down a rabbit hole of discovering that there’s a bit more nuance in what Heraclitus meant, but we really don’t have the time or patience for this level of pedantry, and quite frankly, I should be ashamed at digressing after just one sentence).
In this clearly perfect analogy, the river is the jazz fusion band Ħoss Project, and the man is Pete Galea, the drummer, founder, and bandleader of the band. Pete Galea has revived Ħoss Project after it had been dormant for five years, and he remains the only constant – everything else has changed, including the rest of the line-up, the band formation (which now features keyboards in lieu of guitar) and even the home base of the band (which is now Rotterdam as opposed to London).
Ħoss Project are all set to start performing their first shows with the new line-up, and will be embarking on a mini-tour in Malta between the 25th and 27th of April. The first two nights will take place at Offbeat (Valletta) in celebration of International Jazz Day, while the last show will be at Żeppi’s Pub in Gozo.
I caught up with Pete to discuss the resurrection of Ħoss Project, the upcoming mini-tour, and the five years of musical ideas that have been waiting for the right moment – and the right collaborators – to come to life.
Ħoss Project has been around for quite a while, first based in London with a different line-up before going on hiatus for a few years. What made you decide to restart the project? Was this something you'd been planning for a while?
Yeah definitely. Ħoss Project has been on my mind literally the entire time since I left London in 2020. It took a few years to find my footing again, both on a musical level and more so on a personal level. Now that I’m in a much healthier, more stable place in my life, I feel like I have the energy and intention to give it another proper go.
Originally started as a collaboration between myself and guitarist Josh Hawkins, the aim of this group was really to create a space in which we could ‘stretch our legs’ musically and push each other to be the best musicians we can be. It quickly turned into something that meant a lot to us, and after some months of hosting random gigs and sessions until 4 am, we started to secure some better gig slots. One of the highlights from back then was playing the late show at the prestigious Vortex Jazz Club in Dalston. At this point, we all know what happened to the world lol…
It was only a matter of time until I got Ħoss Project going again. After spending a few years establishing myself in and around Rotterdam, I’m ready to show people all the new music I’ve been writing for the past 5 years :)
As the bandleader, how did you go about choosing the right people for the new line-up? Could you introduce us to your current band members?
In my experience, finding the right lineup can be super challenging and also time-consuming. It took me a whole year to secure the new members for this band. Remember that the best musicians are usually the busiest ones, but having good musicians in your band is not enough. You have to find people who understand your vision and are willing to contribute to it and help bring it to life. I feel I have experienced both sides of that, having been a bandleader as well as a sideperson for other people’s projects.
My vision for this project was really to form a ‘band’ again. In the world of jazz-adjacent music, the one thing I wanted to avoid at all costs is a band that has their faces stuck in lead sheets all night and an on-stage presence that is super boring and unengaging. Dancing to grooves in 13/8 might not always be so straightforward, but at the very least, the energy and the vibe on stage have to be there.
In terms of the new lineup, I’m super lucky to have amazing musicians in this band. More than being absolute beasts, though, they are some of my dearest friends. I am truly honoured to be playing with them.
I started off the new lineup formation with my long-time collaborator and fellow Maltese Dean Montanaro. Not only is he one of my favourite bass players ever, but he’s also an incredibly reliable partner within the rhythm section. His sense of rhythm and meter, and ability to listen at a very deep level has saved my ass more than a few times when we find ourselves in a crazy metric modulation that we somehow need to transition out of. Oh, and he learns the craziest rhythmic things I throw at him in a few seconds, so there’s also that.
Next up was Cosimo Gentili. I was originally searching for a tenor sax player for this group, quite honestly. However, as I mentioned before, sometimes having people you vibe with and trust within your band can be the most important thing. Cosimo, my friend now for almost 4 years, had expressed wishes to play more rhythm-oriented music, so when I asked him if he would want to join my band, he pretty much instantly agreed. What I love about his playing is how his tone is so instantly recognisable, and his melodic choices draw from both the old school as well as more contemporary stuff.
Then came the most challenging part… Finding a great keys player who is not already in 20 other bands. The original lineup included guitar as a harmonic instrument, but to have a keys player in my project has been a dream of mine for a very long time. While Miran Noh is probably one of the busiest musicians on the NL scene, I was very lucky that the timing worked out perfectly. Having recently got into synthesis and electronic experimentation, she was looking for a project to develop that side of her playing, and after coming to my studio for a try-out rehearsal with us, we quickly gelled and found that there’s something there that’s worth developing. I may or may not have used the “You’ll get to play in Malta!” card to convince her and Cosimo, too. But hey, it worked!
How has the new line-up changed Ħoss Project's overall sound and direction compared to before?
The first lineup very much revolved around the guitar sound that we had in the band. Josh Hawkins was very much into the Michael Landau/Eric Gales kind of vibe, and that was a big characteristic of our band sound at the time. He also shreds like a maniac. Special shoutout to Basile Petite, who played bass, and Rich Muscat, who played alto sax. They also brought their unique strengths to the table, and working with all 3 of them was an absolute pleasure.
As I mentioned before, I always wanted to work with a keys player in a more long-term band setup. I love the way that keys players and guitarists approach similar material in very different ways. Certain melodies and phrases might be more ‘guitaristic’ while others might be more suitable for a keyboard instrument. The voicings that one might use on keys as opposed to guitar tend to vary too, which I find changes the texture of the music and how it sits on top of a groove. Of course, with Miran playing synthesizers in the new lineup, we are also experimenting with new opportunities unique to synths, such as step sequencers and different modulation sounds. I’m keen to see where these new musical options may lead us.
What kind of material are you focusing on right now? Are you mainly playing your own compositions, or does everyone contribute to the repertoire?
Originally Ħoss Project was a collaborative effort in terms of the repertoire. We played each other’s tunes, but we also used to compose together a lot. These days, it is increasingly difficult to do such a thing. The days of getting a sizeable advance fee from a label to hole up in a house and create an album in 6 weeks are gone (not that we ever experienced that, haha).
Over the COVID period, living between different countries, I composed enough music for 2 or 3 albums, to be honest. The focus right now is on some of my favourite tracks that I selected and just working on bringing those to life. While I do miss composing on a regular basis, my priority is to actually do something with the music I already have, so they don’t live and die on my hard drive!
After your upcoming Malta gigs, what's next for Ħoss Project?
Well, we’re currently applying for different gigs and festival slots around the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. I’m sure that playing 3 nights in a row in Malta will challenge us a lot musically but also be the perfect opportunity to hone our set and polish the music. Having this mini-tour as a deadline is really kicking us into shape on quite a tight timeframe, to be honest. It’s exhilarating but also stressful at times. I would say on a personal level, I want to develop my skills not just as a drummer/composer, but as a bandleader. Being a bandleader is not just about telling people what to play and when; it’s all about understanding the individual needs of each person in your group and doing your best to communicate and make the experience as fruitful and enjoyable for everyone as possible. And hopefully have enough money to pay your band too…
In terms of Ħoss Project as a whole, the main project we are working towards is recording an album of the music we will be touring with throughout this year. I know exactly what I want to call it and what the cover will look like. I’ve even rehearsed what I’d say between songs at the album launch while I’m in the shower.
The main challenge will likely be sourcing a budget/funding and figuring out where on Earth we are going to record it. We hope to be in the studio at the end of 2025, to release the record at some point in 2026. So yeah, lots of gigs and recording an album. Beyond that, maybe getting sponsored by Kinnie would be pretty cool. I guess we’ll see :)
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